Electroplated plastic chassis for electronic device

ABSTRACT

In one example an electronic device comprises a controller and a chassis comprising a polymer layer, a first metallic layer deposited on a first side of the polymer layer, and a second metallic layer deposited on a second side of the polymer layer, wherein at least one of the first metallic layer or the second metallic layer comprises an electrically functional integrated structure. Other examples may be described.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

BACKGROUND

The subject matter described herein relates generally to the field ofelectronic devices and more particularly to a electroplated plasticchassis for electronic devices.

Design trends for electronic devices such as laptop computers, notebookcomputers, tablet devices, and the like are driving thinner, low-costdevices with high-quality finishes. Existing techniques formanufacturing chassis components for electronic devices are reachingpractical limits in obtaining thin components. Accordingly additionaltechniques to manufacture electronic device chassis components may findutility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an electronic device which may beadapted to implement a electroplated plastic chassis in accordance withsome examples.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating operations in a method tomake an electroplated plastic chassis for an electronic device inaccordance with some examples.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a side view of an electroplatedplastic chassis for an electronic device in accordance with someexamples.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a first side of an electroplatedplastic chassis for an electronic device in accordance with someexamples.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a second side of an electroplatedplastic chassis for an electronic device in accordance with someexamples.

FIGS. 6-10 are schematic illustrations of electronic devices which maybe adapted to implement a electroplated plastic chassis in accordancewith some examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are exemplary systems and methods to manufactureelectroplated plastic chassis components in electronic devices. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of various examples. However, it willbe understood by those skilled in the art that the various examples maybe practiced without the specific details. In other instances,well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not beenillustrated or described in detail so as not to obscure the particularexamples.

As described above, it may be useful to provide electroplated plasticchassis components for electronic device displays, and more chassiscomponents which may incorporate integrated components such as antennas,identifiers devices, and the like. In some examples, the subject matterdescribed herein addresses these and other issues by providing a chassisfor an electronic device comprising a polymer layer, a first metalliclayer deposited on a first side of the polymer layer and a secondmetallic layer deposited on a second side of the polymer layer. At leastone of the first metallic layer or the second metallic layer comprisesan integrated antenna structure, other electronic structure, structuralenhancements (power transmission cables, strip lines, coaxial cableswindows for sensors, power connectors and may include additionalfeatures.

Further structural and operational details will be described withreference to FIGS. 1-10, below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an electronic device 100 which maybe adapted to implement an electroplated plastic chassis 164 inaccordance with some examples. In various examples, electronic device100 may include or be coupled to one or more accompanying input/outputdevices including a display, one or more speakers, a keyboard, one ormore other I/O device(s), a mouse, a camera, or the like. Otherexemplary I/O device(s) may include a touch screen, a voice-activatedinput device, a track ball, a geolocation device, anaccelerometer/gyroscope, biometric feature input devices, and any otherdevice that allows the electronic device 100 to receive input from auser.

The electronic device 100 includes system hardware 120 and memory 140,which may be implemented as random access memory and/or read-onlymemory. A file store may be communicatively coupled to electronic device100. The file store may be internal to electronic device 100 such as,e.g., eMMC, SSD, one or more hard drives, or other types of storagedevices. Alternatively, the file store may also be external toelectronic device 100 such as, e.g., one or more external hard drives,network attached storage, or a separate storage network.

System hardware 120 may include one or more processors 122, graphicsprocessors 124, network interfaces 126, and bus structures 128. In oneexample, processor 122 may be embodied as an Intel® Atom™ processors,Intel® Atom™ based System-on-a-Chip (SOC) or Intel® Core2 Duo® ori3/i5/i7 series processor available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara,Calif., USA. As used herein, the term “processor” means any type ofcomputational element, such as but not limited to, a microprocessor, amicrocontroller, a complex instruction set computing (CISC)microprocessor, a reduced instruction set (RISC) microprocessor, a verylong instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or any other type ofprocessor or processing circuit.

Graphics processor(s) 124 may function as adjunct processor that managesgraphics and/or video operations. Graphics processor(s) 124 may beintegrated onto the motherboard of electronic device 100 or may becoupled via an expansion slot on the motherboard or may be located onthe same die or same package as the Processing Unit.

In one example, network interface 126 could be a wired interface such asan Ethernet interface (see, e.g., Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers/IEEE 802.3-2002) or a wireless interface such asan IEEE 802.11a, b or g-compliant interface (see, e.g., IEEE Standardfor IT-Telecommunications and information exchange between systemsLAN/MAN—Part II: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and PhysicalLayer (PHY) specifications Amendment 4: Further Higher Data RateExtension in the 2.4 GHz Band, 802.11G-2003). Another example of awireless interface would be a general packet radio service (GPRS)interface (see, e.g., Guidelines on GPRS Handset Requirements, GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications/GSM Association, Ver. 3.0.1, December2002).

Bus structures 128 connect various components of system hardware 128. Inone example, bus structures 128 may be one or more of several types ofbus structure(s) including a memory bus, a peripheral bus or externalbus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available bus architecturesincluding, but not limited to, 11-bit bus, Industrial StandardArchitecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA(EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB),Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Universal Serial Bus (USB),Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association bus (PCMCIA), and Small Computer SystemsInterface (SCSI), a High Speed Synchronous Serial Interface (HSI), aSerial Low-power Inter-chip Media Bus (SLIMbus®), or the like.

Electronic device 100 may include an RF transceiver 130 to transceive RFsignals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) radio 134, and a signalprocessing module 132 to process signals received by RF transceiver 130.RF transceiver may implement a local wireless connection via a protocolsuch as, e.g., Bluetooth or 802.11X. IEEE 802.11a, b or g-compliantinterface (see, e.g., IEEE Standard for IT-Telecommunications andinformation exchange between systems LAN/MAN—Part II: Wireless LANMedium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specificationsAmendment 4: Further Higher Data Rate Extension in the 2.4 GHz Band,802.11G-2003). Another example of a wireless interface would be a WCDMA,LTE, general packet radio service (GPRS) interface (see, e.g.,Guidelines on GPRS Handset Requirements, Global System for MobileCommunications/GSM Association, Ver. 3.0.1, December 2002).

Electronic device 100 may further include one or more input/outputinterfaces such as, e.g., a keypad 136 and a display 138. In someexamples electronic device 100 may not have a keypad and use the touchpanel for input.

Memory 140 may include an operating system 142 for managing operationsof electronic device 100. In one example, operating system 142 includesa hardware interface module 154 that provides an interface to systemhardware 120. In addition, operating system 140 may include a filesystem 150 that manages files used in the operation of electronic device100 and a process control subsystem 152 that manages processes executingon electronic device 100.

Operating system 142 may include (or manage) one or more communicationinterfaces 146 that may operate in conjunction with system hardware 120to transceive data packets and/or data streams from a remote source.Operating system 142 may further include a system call interface module144 that provides an interface between the operating system 142 and oneor more application modules resident in memory 130. Operating system 142may be embodied as a UNIX operating system or any derivative thereof(e.g., Linux, Android, etc.) or as a Windows® brand operating system, orother operating systems.

In some examples an electronic device may include a controller 170,which may comprise one or more controllers that are separate from theprimary execution environment. The separation may be physical in thesense that the controller may be implemented in controllers which arephysically separate from the main processors. Alternatively, the trustedexecution environment may logical in the sense that the controller maybe hosted on same chip or chipset that hosts the main processors.

By way of example, in some examples the controller 170 may beimplemented as an independent integrated circuit located on themotherboard of the electronic device 100, e.g., as a dedicated processorblock on the same SOC die. In other examples the trusted executionengine may be implemented on a portion of the processor(s) 122 that issegregated from the rest of the processor(s) using hardware enforcedmechanisms

In the example depicted in FIG. 1 the controller 170 comprises aprocessor 172, a memory module 174, and an I/O interface 178. In someexamples the memory module 174 may comprise a persistent flash memorymodule and the various functional modules may be implemented as logicinstructions encoded in the persistent memory module, e.g., firmware orsoftware. The I/O module 178 may comprise a serial I/O module or aparallel I/O module. Because the controller 170 is separate from themain processor(s) 122 and operating system 142, the controller 170 maybe made secure, i.e., inaccessible to hackers who typically mountsoftware attacks from the host processor 122.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are flowcharts illustrating operations in methods tomake an electroplated plastic chassis for an electronic device inaccordance with some examples, and FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration ofa side view of an electroplated plastic chassis for an electronic devicein accordance with some examples. Referring to FIGS. 2A-2B and 3, in afirst method an image is screen printed on a polymer film. In someexamples the polymer 310 may be formed from a relatively thin (e.g.,having a thickness between 0.05 millimeters and 1.0 millimeters) sheetof thermoformable plastic film and the sheet may be formed using aconventional thermoforming process. The printing operation may utilizescreen print techniques (e.g., ink jet print, pad print, etc.) to printan image on one or both sides of the polymer film using a paint/resistthat can survive an electroplating process and that is selective to theelectroplating process to form

In some examples the printing material may comprise a resist screenprinting paint which may be used to form patterns on the surface of thepolymer material, as described below. Other methods of patterning thepolymer material can include inkjet printing, gravure printing, padprinting, etc.

At operation 215 the polymer 310 is formed to a desired shape. In someexamples a thermoforming operation may be used to form the polymer.

At operation 220 the polymer film 330 is electroplated to form a firstmetallic layer 330A on a first side of polymer 310 and second metalliclayer 330B on a second side of polymer 310. The electroplating operationcan be performed in one or more electroplating process steps. Forexample, the metallization can be done multiple times with differentplating materials, etc. This may require multiple etches, rinses, anddifferent metals to be electroplated. The electroplating operation mayinvolve a process that accommodates selective plating of the film anddoes not overplate the resist layer 320.

At operation 230 the electroplated parts are singulated (i.e., trimmedor diced) from the sheet 310, and at operation 235 the electroplatedparts are finished, which may include selective removal ofelectroplating to insure electrical isolation of components formedduring the process.

FIG. 2B depicts a second method which may be useful with an injectionmolded part. Referring to FIG. 2B, at operation 250 a part is injectionmolded from a polymer material that is capable of being electroplated.At operation 255 images are printed on one or both sides of the polymerusing a paint/resist that can survive the electroplating bathchemistries and is selective to the electroplating process. As describedabove, The electroplating operation can be performed in one or moreelectroplating process steps. For example, the metallization can be donemultiple times with different plating materials, etc. This may requiremultiple etches, rinses, and different metals to be electroplated. Theelectroplating operation may involve a process that accommodatesselective plating of the film and does not overplate the resist layer(s)320.

At operation 260 the part is electroplated to selectively electroplatemetals onto the polymer materials. For example, an electrical connectionbetween the chassis and the electronic structures patterned on thechassis will be completed by pogo pins, but other methods areacceptable.

In some examples the methods described herein may be used to formpatterns on one or both sides of the polymer layer 310 such that theelectroplating operation(s) result in metallized patterns on the polymer310. FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a first side of anelectroplated plastic chassis 300 for an electronic device in accordancewith some examples. Referring to FIG. 4, in some examples the resistlayer 320A may be applied such that the metallic layer 330A forms one ormore integrated antenna structures 350A, 350B, 350C, which may bereferred to collectively herein by reference numeral 350. For example,the resist layer 320A may be applied to define one or more patches 352A,352B, 352C, which may be referred to collectively herein by referencenumeral 352, which are not coated with metal during the electroplatingoperations 225, 230. The patches 352 may be of different shapes andsizes and may be located anywhere on the first metallic layer 330A.

The resist layer 320A may also be patterned to define one or moreconductive strips 354A, 354B, 354C, which may be referred tocollectively herein by reference numeral 354, within the respectivepatches 352A, 352B, 352C. The conductive strips 354 are resonant withinpatches 352 to define antenna structures 350. Further, conductive strips354 are electrically coupled to the metallic layer 330, such that theentire metallic layer 330A is capable of functioning as a ground planefor the antenna structures 350. The patches 352 may be of differentshapes and sizes and may be located anywhere on the first metallic layer330A and the conductive strips 354 may be designed in a wide variety ofshapes and sizes to provide a high degree of flexibility in antennadesigns that can be integrated into the first metallic layer 330A.

In some examples the resist layer 320A may also be patterned to defineone or more identification devices 360. For example, identificationdevices may include optical devices visible to the naked human eye suchas logos, etchings, or the like or may include electronic componentssuch as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags or the like.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a second side of an electroplatedplastic chassis 300 for an electronic device in accordance with someexamples. Referring to FIG. 5, in some examples the resist layer 320Amay be applied such that the metallic layer 330B forms one or moreregions 410A, 410B, which may be referred to collectively herein byreference numeral 410, patterned with pinholes to provide a texturedsurface or provide other cosmetic features on the second metallic layer330B. Further, example, the resist layer 320B may be applied to defineone or more patches 452A, 452B, 452C, which may be referred tocollectively herein by reference numeral 452, which are not coated withmetal during the electroplating operations 225, 230. The patches 452A,452B, 452C may be of different shapes and sizes and may be located onthe second metallic layer 330B in a position to correspond to thepatches 352A, 352B, 352C, such that the patches 452A, 452B, 452C providewindows through which electromagnetic radiation from antenna structures350A, 350B, 350C may be transmitted. The patches 452 can also be used toenhance the power dissipated from the electronic device. The patches 452may be formed with a black surface which radiates energy moreeffectively than a reflective metal surface. A plastic surface cansupport a higher surface temperature at the same level of perceivedcomfort to a user. Studies demonstrate that plastic surfaces at 50 Chave the same perceived hotness as metal surfaces at 43 C. Highertemperature surfaces allow for higher power (and performance) systemswith metal cosmetics and localized resist coated plastic hot spots to beperceived as more comfortable by the user.

Referring briefly back to FIG. 3, in some examples a via structure 380may be formed through the various layers of the chassis 300. Forexample, the first resist layer 320A may define a first aperture in thefirst metallic layer 330A on the first side of the polymer 310 and thesecond resist layer 320B may define a second aperture in the secondmetallic layer 330B on the second side of the polymer layer opposite thefirst aperture.

In some examples a drilling or other material removal operation may beused to form a hole in the polymer 310 to define a via 380 whichprovides a conductive path is formed between opposing surfaces of thefirst metallic layer 330A and the second metallic layer 330B. A touchpad 382 disposed on the second side of the polymer layer 310 and acapacitive sensor 384 may be disposed on the first side of the polymerlayer 310 and coupled to the touch pad via a conductive trace extendingthrough the via 380.

As described above, in some examples the electronic device may beembodied as a computer system. FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of acomputing system 600 in accordance with an example. The computing system600 may include one or more central processing unit(s) 602 or processorsthat communicate via an interconnection network (or bus) 604. Theprocessors 602 may include a general purpose processor, a networkprocessor (that processes data communicated over a computer network603), or other types of a processor (including a reduced instruction setcomputer (RISC) processor or a complex instruction set computer (CISC)).Moreover, the processors 602 may have a single or multiple core design.The processors 602 with a multiple core design may integrate differenttypes of processor cores on the same integrated circuit (IC) die. Also,the processors 602 with a multiple core design may be implemented assymmetrical or asymmetrical multiprocessors. In an example, one or moreof the processors 602 may be the same or similar to the processors 102of FIG. 1. For example, one or more of the processors 602 may includethe control unit 120 discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-3. Also, theoperations discussed with reference to FIGS. 3-5 may be performed by oneor more components of the system 600.

A chipset 606 may also communicate with the interconnection network 604.The chipset 606 may include a memory control hub (MCH) 608. The MCH 608may include a memory controller 610 that communicates with a memory 612(which may be the same or similar to the memory 130 of FIG. 1). Thememory 412 may store data, including sequences of instructions, that maybe executed by the processor 602, or any other device included in thecomputing system 600. In one example, the memory 612 may include one ormore volatile storage (or memory) devices such as random access memory(RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM),or other types of storage devices. Nonvolatile memory may also beutilized such as a hard disk. Additional devices may communicate via theinterconnection network 604, such as multiple processor(s) and/ormultiple system memories.

The MCH 608 may also include a graphics interface 614 that communicateswith a display device 616. In one example, the graphics interface 614may communicate with the display device 616 via an accelerated graphicsport (AGP). In an example, the display 616 (such as a flat paneldisplay) may communicate with the graphics interface 614 through, forexample, a signal converter that translates a digital representation ofan image stored in a storage device such as video memory or systemmemory into display signals that are interpreted and displayed by thedisplay 616. The display signals produced by the display device may passthrough various control devices before being interpreted by andsubsequently displayed on the display 616.

A hub interface 618 may allow the MCH 608 and an input/output controlhub (ICH) 620 to communicate. The ICH 620 may provide an interface toI/O device(s) that communicate with the computing system 600. The ICH620 may communicate with a bus 622 through a peripheral bridge (orcontroller) 624, such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)bridge, a universal serial bus (USB) controller, or other types ofperipheral bridges or controllers. The bridge 624 may provide a datapath between the processor 602 and peripheral devices. Other types oftopologies may be utilized. Also, multiple buses may communicate withthe ICH 620, e.g., through multiple bridges or controllers. Moreover,other peripherals in communication with the ICH 620 may include, invarious examples, integrated drive electronics (IDE) or small computersystem interface (SCSI) hard drive(s), USB port(s), a keyboard, a mouse,parallel port(s), serial port(s), floppy disk drive(s), digital outputsupport (e.g., digital video interface (DVI)), or other devices.

The bus 622 may communicate with an audio device 626, one or more diskdrive(s) 628, and a network interface device 630 (which is incommunication with the computer network 603). Other devices maycommunicate via the bus 622. Also, various components (such as thenetwork interface device 630) may communicate with the MCH 608 in someexamples. In addition, the processor 602 and one or more othercomponents discussed herein may be combined to form a single chip (e.g.,to provide a System on Chip (SOC)). Furthermore, the graphicsaccelerator 616 may be included within the MCH 608 in other examples.

Furthermore, the computing system 600 may include volatile and/ornonvolatile memory (or storage). For example, nonvolatile memory mayinclude one or more of the following: read-only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM(EEPROM), a disk drive (e.g., 628), a floppy disk, a compact disk ROM(CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, amagneto-optical disk, or other types of nonvolatile machine-readablemedia that are capable of storing electronic data (e.g., includinginstructions).

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a computing system 700, accordingto an example. The system 700 may include one or more processors 702-1through 702-N (generally referred to herein as “processors 702” or“processor 702”). The processors 702 may communicate via aninterconnection network or bus 704. Each processor may include variouscomponents some of which are only discussed with reference to processor702-1 for clarity. Accordingly, each of the remaining processors 702-2through 702-N may include the same or similar components discussed withreference to the processor 702-1.

In an example, the processor 702-1 may include one or more processorcores 706-1 through 706-M (referred to herein as “cores 706” or moregenerally as “core 706”), a shared cache 708, a router 710, and/or aprocessor control logic or unit 720. The processor cores 706 may beimplemented on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip. Moreover, the chipmay include one or more shared and/or private caches (such as cache708), buses or interconnections (such as a bus or interconnectionnetwork 712), memory controllers, or other components.

In one example, the router 710 may be used to communicate betweenvarious components of the processor 702-1 and/or system 700. Moreover,the processor 702-1 may include more than one router 710. Furthermore,the multitude of routers 710 may be in communication to enable datarouting between various components inside or outside of the processor702-1.

The shared cache 708 may store data (e.g., including instructions) thatare utilized by one or more components of the processor 702-1, such asthe cores 706. For example, the shared cache 708 may locally cache datastored in a memory 714 for faster access by components of the processor702. In an example, the cache 708 may include a mid-level cache (such asa level 2 (L2), a level 3 (L3), a level 4 (L4), or other levels ofcache), a last level cache (LLC), and/or combinations thereof. Moreover,various components of the processor 702-1 may communicate with theshared cache 708 directly, through a bus (e.g., the bus 712), and/or amemory controller or hub. As shown in FIG. 7, in some examples, one ormore of the cores 706 may include a level 1 (L1) cache 716-1 (generallyreferred to herein as “L1 cache 716”). In one example, the control unit720 may include logic to implement the operations described above withreference to the memory controller 122 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of portions of a processor core 706and other components of a computing system, according to an example. Inone example, the arrows shown in FIG. 8 illustrate the flow direction ofinstructions through the core 706. One or more processor cores (such asthe processor core 706) may be implemented on a single integratedcircuit chip (or die) such as discussed with reference to FIG. 7.Moreover, the chip may include one or more shared and/or private caches(e.g., cache 708 of FIG. 7), interconnections (e.g., interconnections704 and/or 112 of FIG. 7), control units, memory controllers, or othercomponents.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the processor core 706 may include a fetchunit 802 to fetch instructions (including instructions with conditionalbranches) for execution by the core 706. The instructions may be fetchedfrom any storage devices such as the memory 714. The core 706 may alsoinclude a decode unit 804 to decode the fetched instruction. Forinstance, the decode unit 804 may decode the fetched instruction into aplurality of uops (micro-operations).

Additionally, the core 706 may include a schedule unit 806. The scheduleunit 806 may perform various operations associated with storing decodedinstructions (e.g., received from the decode unit 804) until theinstructions are ready for dispatch, e.g., until all source values of adecoded instruction become available. In one example, the schedule unit806 may schedule and/or issue (or dispatch) decoded instructions to anexecution unit 808 for execution. The execution unit 808 may execute thedispatched instructions after they are decoded (e.g., by the decode unit804) and dispatched (e.g., by the schedule unit 806). In an example, theexecution unit 808 may include more than one execution unit. Theexecution unit 808 may also perform various arithmetic operations suchas addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division, and mayinclude one or more an arithmetic logic units (ALUs). In an example, aco-processor (not shown) may perform various arithmetic operations inconjunction with the execution unit 808.

Further, the execution unit 808 may execute instructions out-of-order.Hence, the processor core 706 may be an out-of-order processor core inone example. The core 706 may also include a retirement unit 810. Theretirement unit 810 may retire executed instructions after they arecommitted. In an example, retirement of the executed instructions mayresult in processor state being committed from the execution of theinstructions, physical registers used by the instructions beingde-allocated, etc.

The core 706 may also include a bus unit 714 to enable communicationbetween components of the processor core 706 and other components (suchas the components discussed with reference to FIG. 8) via one or morebuses (e.g., buses 804 and/or 812). The core 706 may also include one ormore registers 816 to store data accessed by various components of thecore 706 (such as values related to power consumption state settings).

Furthermore, even though FIG. 7 illustrates the control unit 720 to becoupled to the core 706 via interconnect 812, in various examples thecontrol unit 720 may be located elsewhere such as inside the core 706,coupled to the core via bus 704, etc.

In some examples, one or more of the components discussed herein can beembodied as a System On Chip (SOC) device. FIG. 9 illustrates a blockdiagram of an SOC package in accordance with an example. As illustratedin FIG. 9, SOC 902 includes one or more processor cores 920, one or moregraphics processor cores 930, an Input/Output (I/O) interface 940, and amemory controller 942. Various components of the SOC package 902 may becoupled to an interconnect or bus such as discussed herein withreference to the other figures. Also, the SOC package 902 may includemore or less components, such as those discussed herein with referenceto the other figures. Further, each component of the SOC package 902 mayinclude one or more other components, e.g., as discussed with referenceto the other figures herein. In one example, SOC package 902 (and itscomponents) is provided on one or more Integrated Circuit (IC) die,e.g., which are packaged into a single semiconductor device.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, SOC package 902 is coupled to a memory 960(which may be similar to or the same as memory discussed herein withreference to the other figures) via the memory controller 942. In anexample, the memory 960 (or a portion of it) can be integrated on theSOC package 902.

The I/O interface 940 may be coupled to one or more I/O devices 970,e.g., via an interconnect and/or bus such as discussed herein withreference to other figures. I/O device(s) 970 may include one or more ofa keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a display, an image/video capturedevice (such as a camera or camcorder/video recorder), a touch surface,a speaker, or the like.

FIG. 10 illustrates a computing system 1000 that is arranged in apoint-to-point (PtP) configuration, according to an example. Inparticular, FIG. 10 shows a system where processors, memory, andinput/output devices are interconnected by a number of point-to-pointinterfaces. The operations discussed with reference to FIG. 2 may beperformed by one or more components of the system 1000.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the system 1000 may include severalprocessors, of which only two, processors 1002 and 1004 are shown forclarity. The processors 1002 and 1004 may each include a local memorycontroller hub (MCH) 1006 and 1008 to enable communication with memories1010 and 1012. MCH 1006 and 1008 may include the memory controller 120and/or logic 125 of FIG. 1 in some examples.

In an example, the processors 1002 and 1004 may be one of the processors702 discussed with reference to FIG. 7. The processors 1002 and 1004 mayexchange data via a point-to-point (PtP) interface 1014 using PtPinterface circuits 1016 and 1018, respectively. Also, the processors1002 and 1004 may each exchange data with a chipset 1020 via individualPtP interfaces 1022 and 1024 using point-to-point interface circuits1026, 1028, 1030, and 1032. The chipset 1020 may further exchange datawith a high-performance graphics circuit 1034 via a high-performancegraphics interface 1036, e.g., using a PtP interface circuit 1037.

As shown in FIG. 10, one or more of the cores 106 and/or cache 108 ofFIG. 1 may be located within the processors 1004. Other examples,however, may exist in other circuits, logic units, or devices within thesystem 1000 of FIG. 10. Furthermore, other examples may be distributedthroughout several circuits, logic units, or devices illustrated in FIG.10.

The chipset 1020 may communicate with a bus 1040 using a PtP interfacecircuit 1041. The bus 1040 may have one or more devices that communicatewith it, such as a bus bridge 1042 and I/O devices 1043. Via a bus 1044,the bus bridge 1043 may communicate with other devices such as akeyboard/mouse 1045, communication devices 1046 (such as modems, networkinterface devices, or other communication devices that may communicatewith the computer network 1003), audio I/O device, and/or a data storagedevice 1048. The data storage device 1048 (which may be a hard diskdrive or a NAND flash based solid state drive) may store code 1049 thatmay be executed by the processors 1004.

The following pertains to further examples.

Example 1 is a chassis for an electronic device comprising a polymerlayer, a first metallic layer deposited on a first side of the polymerlayer; and a second metallic layer deposited on a second side of thepolymer layer; wherein at least one of the first metallic layer or thesecond metallic layer comprises an electrically functional integratedstructure.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally include anarrangement in which the electrically functional integrated structurecomprises at least one of an integrated antenna structure an integratedelectronic sensing structure power transmission structure; or anintegrated RF window.

In Example 3, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-2 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the polymer layer comprises aformable polymer formed into a three-dimensional shape.

In Example 4, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-3 canoptionally include a first electroplating resist layer applied to atleast portions of the first side of the polymer layer and a secondelectroplating resist layer applied to at least portions of the secondside of the polymer layer.

In Example 5, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-4 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines at least one antenna structure on the first side of the polymerlayer; and the second resist layer defines at least one antenna windowstructure on the second side of the polymer layer, opposite the antennastructure.

In Example 6, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-5 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the at least one antennastructure is electrically coupled to the first metallic layer, such thatthe first metallic layer defines a ground plane for the at least oneantenna structure.

In Example 7, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-6 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines at least one identification device on the first side of thepolymer layer.

In Example 8, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-7 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines a first aperture in the first metallic layer on the first sideof the polymer layer, the second resist layer defines a second aperturein the second metallic layer on the second side of the polymer layer,wherein the second aperture is opposite the first aperture; and thepolymer layer comprises a third aperture in alignment with the firstaperture and the second aperture to define a via through the chassis.

In Example 9, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-8 canoptionally include a touch pad disposed on the second side of thepolymer layer; and a capacitive sensor disposed on the first side of thepolymer layer and coupled to the touch pad via a conductive traceextending through the via.

Example 10 is a an electronic device, comprising a controller and achassis for an electronic device comprising a polymer layer, a firstmetallic layer deposited on a first side of the polymer layer; and asecond metallic layer deposited on a second side of the polymer layer;wherein at least one of the first metallic layer or the second metalliclayer comprises an electrically functional integrated structure.

In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 can optionally includean arrangement in which the electrically functional integrated structurecomprises at least one of an integrated antenna structure an integratedelectronic sensing structure power transmission structure; or anintegrated RF window.

In Example 12, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-11 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the polymer layer comprises aformable polymer formed into a three-dimensional shape.

In Example 13, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-12 canoptionally include a first electroplating resist layer applied to atleast portions of the first side of the polymer layer and a secondelectroplating resist layer applied to at least portions of the secondside of the polymer layer.

In Example 14, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-13 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines at least one antenna structure on the first side of the polymerlayer; and the second resist layer defines at least one antenna windowstructure on the second side of the polymer layer, opposite the antennastructure.

In Example 15, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-14 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the at least one antennastructure is electrically coupled to the first metallic layer, such thatthe first metallic layer defines a ground plane for the at least oneantenna structure.

In Example 16, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-15 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines at least one identification device on the first side of thepolymer layer.

In Example 17, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-16 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines a first aperture in the first metallic layer on the first sideof the polymer layer, the second resist layer defines a second aperturein the second metallic layer on the second side of the polymer layer,wherein the second aperture is opposite the first aperture; and thepolymer layer comprises a third aperture in alignment with the firstaperture and the second aperture to define a via through the chassis.

In Example 18, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-17 canoptionally include a touch pad disposed on the second side of thepolymer layer; and a capacitive sensor disposed on the first side of thepolymer layer and coupled to the touch pad via a conductive traceextending through the via.

Example 19 is a method to manufacture a chassis for an electronicdevice, comprising forming a polymer into a three-dimensional shape,applying a first resist layer to a first side of the polymer, applying asecond resist layer to a second side of the polymer, electroplating afirst metallic layer on the first side of the polymer, electroplating asecond metallic layer on the second side of the polymer, wherein atleast one of the first metallic layer or the second metallic layercomprises an electrically functional integrated structure.

In example 20, the subject matter of Example 19 can optionally includean arrangement in which the electrically functional integrated structurecomprises at least one of an integrated antenna structure an integratedelectronic sensing structure power transmission structure; or anintegrated RF window.

In Example 21, the subject matter of any one of Examples 19-20 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines at least one antenna structure on the first side of the polymerlayer; and the second resist layer defines at least one antenna windowstructure on the second side of the polymer layer, opposite the antennastructure.

In Example 23 the subject matter of any one of Examples 19-22 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines at least one identification device on the first side of thepolymer layer.

In Example 24, the subject matter of any one of Examples 19-23 canoptionally include an arrangement in which the first resist layerdefines a first aperture in the first metallic layer on the first sideof the polymer layer, the second resist layer defines a second aperturein the second metallic layer on the second side of the polymer layer,wherein the second aperture is opposite the first aperture; and thepolymer layer comprises a third aperture in alignment with the firstaperture and the second aperture to define a via through the chassis.

In Example 25, the subject matter of any one of Examples 19-24 canoptionally include a touch pad disposed on the second side of thepolymer layer; and a capacitive sensor disposed on the first side of thepolymer layer and coupled to the touch pad via a conductive traceextending through the via.

The terms “logic instructions” as referred to herein relates toexpressions which may be understood by one or more machines forperforming one or more logical operations. For example, logicinstructions may comprise instructions which are interpretable by aprocessor compiler for executing one or more operations on one or moredata objects. However, this is merely an example of machine-readableinstructions and examples are not limited in this respect.

The terms “computer readable medium” as referred to herein relates tomedia capable of maintaining expressions which are perceivable by one ormore machines. For example, a computer readable medium may comprise oneor more storage devices for storing computer readable instructions ordata. Such storage devices may comprise storage media such as, forexample, optical, magnetic or semiconductor storage media. However, thisis merely an example of a computer readable medium and examples are notlimited in this respect.

The term “logic” as referred to herein relates to structure forperforming one or more logical operations. For example, logic maycomprise circuitry which provides one or more output signals based uponone or more input signals. Such circuitry may comprise a finite statemachine which receives a digital input and provides a digital output, orcircuitry which provides one or more analog output signals in responseto one or more analog input signals. Such circuitry may be provided inan application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or field programmablegate array (FPGA). Also, logic may comprise machine-readableinstructions stored in a memory in combination with processing circuitryto execute such machine-readable instructions. However, these are merelyexamples of structures which may provide logic and examples are notlimited in this respect.

Some of the methods described herein may be embodied as logicinstructions on a computer-readable medium. When executed on aprocessor, the logic instructions cause a processor to be programmed asa special-purpose machine that implements the described methods. Theprocessor, when configured by the logic instructions to execute themethods described herein, constitutes structure for performing thedescribed methods. Alternatively, the methods described herein may bereduced to logic on, e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like.

In the description and claims, the terms coupled and connected, alongwith their derivatives, may be used. In particular examples, connectedmay be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physicalor electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or moreelements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, coupledmay also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contactwith each other, but yet may still cooperate or interact with eachother.

Reference in the specification to “one example” or “some examples” meansthat a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with the example is included in at least an implementation.The appearances of the phrase “in one example” in various places in thespecification may or may not be all referring to the same example.

Although examples have been described in language specific to structuralfeatures and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that claimedsubject matter may not be limited to the specific features or actsdescribed. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed assample forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A chassis for an electronic device, comprising: apolymer layer; a first metallic layer deposited on a first side of thepolymer layer; and a second metallic layer deposited on a second side ofthe polymer layer; wherein the first metallic layer or the secondmetallic layer comprises: a patch section that is not coated with ametallic layer; and at least one conductive strip defined within thepatch section to define an antenna structure, wherein the at least oneconductive strip is electrically coupled to the first metallic layersuch that the first metallic layer functions as a ground plane for theantenna structure; a first resist layer applied to at least portions ofthe first side of the polymer layer and a second resist layer applied toat least portions of the second side of the polymer layer; wherein: thefirst resist layer defines a first aperture in the first metallic layeron the first side of the polymer layer; the second resist layer definesa second aperture in the second metallic layer on the second side of thepolymer layer, wherein the second aperture is opposite the firstaperture; and the polymer layer comprises a third aperture in alignmentwith the first aperture and the second aperture to define a via throughthe chassis.
 2. The chassis of claim 1, wherein: the polymer layercomprises a formable polymer formed into a three-dimensional shape. 3.The chassis of claim 1, wherein: the first resist layer defines at leastone antenna structure on the first side of the polymer layer; and thesecond resist layer defines at least one antenna window structure on thesecond side of the polymer layer, opposite the antenna structure.
 4. Thechassis of claim 1, further comprising: a touch pad disposed on thesecond side of the polymer layer; and a capacitive sensor disposed onthe first side of the polymer layer and coupled to the touch pad via aconductive trace extending through the via.
 5. An electronic device,comprising: a controller; a chassis for an electronic device,comprising: a polymer layer; a first metallic layer deposited on a firstside of the polymer layer; and a second metallic layer deposited on asecond side of the polymer layer; wherein the first metallic layer orthe second metallic layer comprises: a patch section that is not coatedwith a metallic layer; and at least one conductive strip defined withinthe patch section to define an antenna structure, wherein the at leastone conductive strip is electrically coupled to the first metallic layersuch that the first metallic layer functions as a ground plane for theantenna structure; a first resist layer applied to at least portions ofthe first side of the polymer layer and a second resist layer applied toat least portions of the second side of the polymer layer; wherein: thefirst resist layer defines a first aperture in the first metallic layeron the first side of the polymer layer; the second resist layer definesa second aperture in the second metallic layer on the second side of thepolymer layer, wherein the second aperture is opposite the firstaperture; and the polymer layer comprises a third aperture in alignmentwith the first aperture and the second aperture to define a via throughthe chassis.
 6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein: the polymerlayer comprises a formable polymer formed into a three-dimensionalshape.
 7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein: the first resistlayer defines at least one antenna structure on the first side of thepolymer layer; and the second resist layer defines at least one antennawindow structure on the second side of the polymer layer, opposite theantenna structure.
 8. The electronic device of claim 5, furthercomprising: a touch pad disposed on the second side of the polymerlayer; and a capacitive sensor disposed on the first side of the polymerlayer and coupled to the touch pad via a conductive trace extendingthrough the via.